


Hang On To The Night

by nickxy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky is.... however old he is, Cute, Date Night, Domesticity, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Oneshot, Peter is 23, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Canon, winterspider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26156620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickxy/pseuds/nickxy
Summary: Bucky and Peter decide to go on a date like a normal couple. It doesn't go how Peter was hoping it would.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Peter Parker
Comments: 5
Kudos: 116





	Hang On To The Night

**Author's Note:**

> fulfilling a prompt made by @iamtherealbork: 
> 
> Bucky takes Peter to an art show to try to do smth a normal couple would do. They get bored instantly and leave. They end up on a rooftop watching the New York skyline while eating some fast food. 
> 
> unbeta'd so lemme know if something is suuuper off!

Peter and Bucky are in the shower the first time Bucky suggests the idea.

“I think we should go on a date this week.” Bucky announces, midway through scrubbing his long brown hair with shampoo. Peter chuckles, confused at first, but interest piquing as he realizes the older man is serious. It makes sense that Bucky would have to ask him in the shower, considering it’s basically the only time the two have been alone recently. 

It’s not that Bucky and Peter never see each other. On the contrary. Since they both live in the same complex, they often ended up sharing a bed together when they could. Thing is, they haven’t been able to do that for a while. Mostly because Bucky keeps getting pulled into weeks-long missions to… god knows where. Peter’s _still_ not allowed to go on those kinds of missions.  


And whenever that’s not the case, Peter and Bucky spend most of their time in training, briefings, or chasing some super-villain who has decided it’s the time to strike New York City with a massive electromagnetic ray (shout out to Doctor Doom).  


A good old-fashioneddate sounded like it could be a pleasant change of pace to Peter. It sounded like something normal couples do.   


“What’d you have in mind?” Peter asks, lathering some soap in his hand and beginning to rub it onto Bucky’s shoulder.   


“Was thinkin’ we could go to one of those fancy art galleries in Williamsburg. Steve was tellin’ me about this show he went to last week. Seemed cool.” Bucky explains.   


Peter and Bucky had never really been to an art museum together. The closest thing to it was two years ago, before they were dating, when they took a trip to the Museum of Natural History. Peter remembers it being a great day. They perused the exhibit of dinosaur bones and ended up spending an hour sitting on a bench next to the giant whale, people watching. Something that was still one of their favorite things to do together.   


The simple fact that Bucky himself was featured in the same Museum was also highly entertaining for Peter. Bucky attempted to keep his face hidden underneath a baseball cap the whole time, as he usually did in public, but it still didn’t stop a child from wailing, “It’s the Winter Soldier! Run for your lives!”

Peter couldn’t stop laughing. It was the first time he ever saw Bucky flush with embarrassment.

Peter figured this would be a more _adult_ date. A way for both he and Bucky to connect with each other. The younger man hoped that maybe, for a moment, he could forget that his boyfriend is a former HYDRA assassin and that last week they had been fighting a very large, very sentient alien squid in Astoria.

He was also hoping it could score him some maturity points with Bucky. While Peter was twenty-three now, had graduated from college, lived life a little and generally felt more comfortable in his skin, it still didn’t change the fact that his boyfriend was technically over one-hundred years old. Sometimes the difference between the two was glaringly obvious, especially the fact that Bucky grew up in a full-on different time period. 

It bothered Peter, as much as he tried to pretend it didn’t. 

“I think that sounds like a great idea.” Peter declares, noticing that he’s spent a bit too much time in his head. “Maybe we go for dinner after, too?” 

“Mm.” Bucky hums in agreement, dropping a dollop of conditioner in his hands and rubbing them into Peter’s curls. Peter closes his eyes and lets Bucky do his thing. “Any requests?”

“How about you surprise me?” Peter squints his eyes open, for fear of soap, but still wanting to see Bucky’s response. Bucky smirks before bringing his head under the water.  


“Would be happy too, doll.” Bucky says, planting a kiss on the younger once the suds have washed away from his hair.   


The two step out of the shower and Bucky grabs their towels off of the heater. He hands Peter the red and fluffy one and ties a black towel around his waist.   


“I’ll pick you up on Friday at seven o’clock sharp.” Bucky says, pressing a kiss into Peter’s cheek before walking past him into the bedroom. While it meant that Bucky would just be taking a two-minute elevator ride over to Peter’s room to pick him up, the sentiment was still sweet. 

Peter spends every single minute leading up to Friday at seven wondering what kind of outfit you’re supposed to wear to a gallery exhibit. After much deliberation, he ended up deciding on a linen Burgundy button-down that Pepper got him for Christmas last year. Easily one of the nicest pieces of clothing he owned. It was from some fancy store called Rag and Bone. It complimented his strong but still svelte body.   


A knock came at his door at seven on the dot. Peter opened his door almost immediately to see Bucky, a more cleaned up Bucky. He’s wearing a very well-fitting black button-down with black slacks with his hair slicked and pulled into a bun. He looks _dapper,_ for lack of a better word.

“Bucky, you look great.” Peter gawks, in a state of admiration. Bucky didn’t understand how good looking he was, and Peter never understood that. Somehow the man always makes Peter feel weak in the knees, even after a year of dating. 

“Thanks, doll. You too. I like the shirt.” Bucky says, a smile spreading across his face. “You ready to get out of here?” 

Bucky leads him down to the garage where most of the Avengers keep their cars and they make their way to Bucky’s motorcycle. Peter can’t even recall the last time they were on it together. 

After a couple minutes, they were on the road and into Brooklyn. When the two first started dating, Bucky didn’t dare speed while taking Peter around. It wasn’t until the two got more comfortable that Bucky realized that Peter was just as much of an adrenaline junkie as him. Peter loved being on the back of Bucky’s bike. It was almost as good as web-slinging through the city. Almost.   


Bucky finds a spot around the corner from the gallery and carefully steps off his bike. Peter follows suit. 

“So this artist is supposedly super experimental or something,” Bucky explains, while grabbing Peter’s helmet from him. “I looked up some of his stuff online. Weird shit. Will be interesting to see.”

They finally make it to the gallery, it’s in Williamsburg, which is where a lot of the fancy and affluent art types usually hang. It definitely isn’t Peter and Bucky’s usual scene. Then again, their usual scene is fighting an alien squid in the subway systems of Queens. The point of this date is to get _out_ of their usual scene.   


After a quick examination of the gallery, Peter realizes that it doesn’t seem to be at all what Bucky was explaining earlier. Instead of experimental art, the gallery’s walls are lined with various-sized canvases with a bunch of singular orange circles painted on them.

It was a pleasant shade of orange, sure. But it was also just… orange. 

Almost all of them were the exact shade of orange. Some had a black or white circle on an orange background. But even then, there wasn’t much variety going on here. 

Peter wouldn’t dare call himself an expert art critic. Not even close. He knew good composition and could appreciate an image, sure, but these orange circles had him completely stumped.   


The paintings seemed to enthrall the many other occupants in the gallery. The fancy art crowd wouldn’t stop buzzing about it. That fact got Peter nervous. Maybe he was missing something.   


Was he just not mature enough? Was Bucky going to think of him as even more of a kid because he can’t figure out the meaning behind these orange circles?

The couple stops in front of one of the _extremely_ large paintings. It’s still of an orange circle. Peter glances over to Bucky who looks almost perplexed. Peter wonders if that means he’s understanding what the hell this paintings are supposed to mean.   


“What do you think?” Peter asks in a hushed tone, hoping that if Bucky has some insightful analysis to offer, Peter could just borrow a couple things from him. 

Instead, Bucky just shrugs.   


“I think I’m getting kinda hungry.” Bucky states plainly. 

“What?” Peter asks, a low chuckle escaping his mouth. “I was asking about the painting.” 

  
“Yeah, it’s making me hungry,” Bucky responds with a snort, turning over to Peter and giving him a grin. “Is it just me or do all these paintings kinda look the same?”

A feeling of pure relief washes over Peter almost immediately after hearing that. Thank god. He’s not just a stupid kid. 

“They really do.” Peter nods, unable to hold back his smile. 

“I’m sorry, doll. I really thought it was gonna be better than this.” Bucky says, sounding a little defeated. “But I think I know how we can salvage this.”

“What are you thinking?” 

“Well, I originally had made a reservation but… I’ve got a better idea If you’re down for it.” 

Bucky and Peter hop back onto his motorcycle and drive until they finally reach the Lucky Star. It was an absolute hole in the wall, but also one of their favorite spots. They’re definitely overdressed for the greasy restaurant, but Peter’s relieved to be somewhere that feels comfortable. 

“Buck! Buddy, where ya been?” Joey, the restaurant’s owner, yells in his Brooklyn drawl. Bucky doesn’t smile for many people. He’s warmed up to many of the Avengers and, of course, Peter, but few people outside their circle can get a _real_ smile out of him. Peter thinks it’s because Joey reminds Bucky of the old Brooklyn.

“Work’s got me tied up, Joey. Trapped upstate. You know the deal.” Bucky snickers. Bucky’s Brooklyn accent _really_ comes out whenever he talks to Joey; Peter loves it. “What’s new here?”

“Same ol’, same ol’. What’s with the getups?” Joey snorts, pointing to the couple. Bucky rolls his eyes. 

“Date night, Joey. Ever heard of it?” Bucky retorts with a cocky smirk on his face. 

“It’s date night and you guys are comin’ here?” Joey jokes, hand to his chest. “I’m touched.” 

“Yeah, well. Saw a painting earlier and it made me want a cheeseburger.” Bucky says, turning to Peter and giving him a wink.   


“Say no more. What can I do for you guys?” Joey asks, readying himself behind the cash register. 

“Can I get a number three and a… number four?” Bucky says, looking to Peter for an approval. Peter nods promptly, swooning a little that Bucky knew exactly what he wanted. “And make sure to squish that bread down on the four.”

Okay, fully swooning now. 

“This punk and his bread, I swear.” Joey says, rolling his eyes jokingly. 

“You’re tellin’ me.” Bucky says, giving a nudge Peter’s shoulder. All three laugh a bit. Peter’s already having way more fun on this version of the date “To-go, as well. We’ve got another destination.” 

“How fancy. Gimme a couple’a minutes and I’ll have those out, boys.” 

“You’re the best, Joey.” Bucky says with a smile. 

Once their food is ready, they get back on the bike and Bucky heads north. Peter isn’t sure where they’re going until they pass by Astoria. Bucky’s taking Peter to one of his favorite views of the city.   


Bucky brings the motorcycle to a halt in front of a tall brick building with a classic fire escape. Bucky looks up at the unreleased ladder and gives it a nod.   


“You wanna do the honors? You’re better at this kind of stuff.” Bucky states. Peter smirks and immediately flips up and attaches himself to the bottom of the escape. He pulls down the ladder, and it slides to Bucky. Peter crawls over to the ladder and climbs up.   


Once they get to the rooftop, they’re met with a beautiful sight of the Queensboro Bridge and Manhattan all lit up. It’s so much better than the orange circles.   


Bucky places down a blanket he grabbed from a compartment on the motorcycle and the two nestle themselves together with their burgers. _This_ was definitely more their speed.   


“This is better, right?” Bucky says, looking Peter in the eyes with an endearing look on his face. 

“Much.” Peter answers, unable to stop looking into Bucky’s icy blue eyes. Bucky leans in and gives him a kiss. It’s so good that Peter’s got goosebumps. “I love you, James. Thank you for today.”

“My pleasure, doll. I love you too.” Bucky gives Peter another small kiss before going back to his burger. 

Now that they’re here, Peter can’t remember why he wanted them to get out of their scene. Maybe the roof was dirty and maybe Bucky kind of tasted like ketchup, but there was no place Peter would rather be. 


End file.
